RABAT— Morocco's King Mohammed VI on Friday named
businessman Aziz Akhannouch to lead a new government after his National Rally
of Independents (RNI) thrashed the long-ruling Islamists in parliamentary
elections.
اضافة اعلان
The king appointed Akhannouch "head of the government
and tasked him with forming a new government", following Wednesday's
polls, a statement from the palace said.
The RNI won 102 of parliament's 395 seats, trouncing the
moderate Islamist Justice and Development Party (PJD), which had headed the
governing coalition for a decade but took just 13 seats, according to results
released by the interior ministry.
Akhannouch hailed the results as "a victory for
democracy".
The billionaire businessman — worth $2 billion according to
Forbes — has led the RNI since 2016.
His party is considered close to the palace and has been
part of all coalition governments for the past 23 years, except during a brief
period between 2012 and 2013.
Following his win, Akhannouch pledged to improve conditions
for citizens of Morocco, where entrenched social inequalities have been
exacerbated by the pandemic.
"The main commitment of the party is to work seriously
as long as we enjoy the confidence of citizens, to improve their daily lives,
to achieve their aspirations and regain confidence in their
representatives," he said.
The economy shrank by 7.1 percent in 2020 and the poverty
rate shot up to 11.7 percent during the lockdown, the Moroccan statistics
institute said in April.
A recent overhaul of the elections laws meant it was the
first time Morocco's 18 million voters cast ballots in both parliamentary and
local elections on the same day, an effort to boost turnout.
Around 50.35 percent of eligible voters participated,
according to the interior minister, higher than the 43 percent in the 2016
legislative
polls.
Akhannouch's party also came first in the local elections,
winning 9,995 of the 31,503 seats, and the regional poll with 196 of the 678
positions.
Negotiations
Akhannouch said he was ready to begin negotiations to form
his coalition government.
"The most important thing is to have a coherent and
united majority," he said in a televised address Friday evening.
Under Morocco's constitutional monarchy, the new
administration must be submitted for approval by the king, who reserves veto
rights.
Akhannouch will likely draw from the main opposition, the
Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM) — founded by an influential royal
advisor — which came second in the parliamentary elections with 86 seats, as
well as the conservative Istiqlal party, which took 81 seats.
Cabinet horsetrading is not expected to include the PJD
however, which announced that it would switch to its "natural"
position as the opposition.
Swept to power in the wake of the 2011 uprisings around the
Middle East and North Africa, the PJD had hoped to secure a third term leading
a ruling coalition.
Despite the change of guard, policy shifts are unlikely
since major decisions in Morocco still come from King Mohammed VI.
The head of the Arab world's longest-serving dynasty has
already announced a charter for a "new model of development" with a
"new generation of reforms and projects" in the coming years, with
political parties expected to sign up.
The plan's major aims include reducing Morocco's wealth gap
and doubling per-capita economic output by 2035.
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